PC Components

Celsius+ S28 Prism – sophisticated and colourful AiO cooler from Fractal Design?

Two things are becoming increasingly popular in the computer hardware market: RGB lighting and AiO CPU coolers. With the Celsius+ Prism, Fractal Design wants to provide a product range that is convincing with well thought-out functionalities, fully controllable RGB lighting and good quality. In our test, we want to find out how the Celsius+ S28 Prism performs and whether Fractal Design is able to live up to the quality of their enclosures – such as the Define 7.

Technical data

The Celsius+ S28 prism* from Fractal Design is available since April 2020. There is also a small version, the Celsius+ S24 prism* with two 120 mm RGB fans and a larger version, the Celsius+ S36 prism*, with three 120 mm RGB fans. In addition, these three versions are available without RGB lighting on the fans: Celsius+ S24 Dynamic*, Celsius+ S28 Dynamic and Celsius+ S36 Dynamic.

Radiator:

Dimensions: 324 x 143 x 30 mm
Material: aluminium (black painted)

CPU-cooler:

Height: 45 mm
Material base plate: copper
Tube length: 400 mm

compatibility:

Intel socket: LGA 2066, 2011-3, 2011, 1366, 1156, 1155, 1151, 1150
AMD socket: AM4, AM3+, AM3, AM2+, AM2, FM2+, FM2, FM1, TR4

Fan:

Type: 2x 140 mm (Prism AL-14 PWM ARGB)
Speed: 500 – 1,700 rpm
Air flow rate up to 176.53 m³/h
Static pressure: up to 2.38 mm H2O
Volume: up to 34.1 dB(A)
Connection: 4-pin PWM, 3-pin RGB
€ 99.00
Sofort lieferbar, Lieferzeit max. 2-4 Werktage
Buy now* computeruniverse.net
€ 104.00
Versandbereit in 1-3 Werktagen (nach Zahlungseingang)
Buy now* mynotebook.de
€ 106.89
Zentrallager: >5 Stück bestellt, wird in 2 Werktagen erwartetFiliale Wilhelmshaven: >5 Stück bestellt, wird in 2 Werktagen erwartet
Buy now* Mindfactory

Packaging and scope of delivery

The Fractal Design Celsius+ S28 Prism arrives safely in a stylish and adequately padded package.

 

In addition to the actual AiO water cooling, the following accessories are included in the scope of delivery:

    • 2x 140 mm RGB fan (Prism AL-14 PWM ARGB)
    • 3-pin RGB connection cable
    • Mounting kits and screws for mounting for the common mainboard platforms
    • Pre-applied heat-conducting paste
Accessories
Accessories

The accessories are sufficiently dimensioned. A separate RGB controller – for example if the 3-pin RGB connector is not compatible with your own motherboard – is unfortunately not included.

Workmanship and design

The workmanship of the Fractal Design Celsius+ S28 Prism and its accessories is convincing even at first glance. On the radiator no significantly bent lamellas could be found. The hoses are sufficiently flexible and perfectly attached to the radiator and pump.

The pump housing is very stable. The pre-mounted Intel mainboard adapter can be removed easily by a small turn. One level above, the pump housing can be rotated to switch between PWM and Auto mode. The bottom side of the pump shows the copper surface of the base plate with the thermal paste applied ex works.

The two RGB fans (Prism AL-14 PWM ARGB*) included in the delivery have a black and partly rubberized frame with white fan blades.  The fans are connected via a 4-pin PWM connector. They also have two 3-pin RGB connectors (one female, one male).

All fans can be connected directly via the integrated fan and RGB hub between the hose connections on the radiator. From there, both RGB and PWM connections lead to the pump via the hoses. From there the connection to the mainboard or a control controller is made. Since only a maximum of two cables need to be laid, good cable management is easily possible.

Except for the fan blades, everything is black or dark grey. Overall, the workmanship and design of the AiO cooler is completely convincing and shines with the very well integrated fan and RGB hub.

The installation

The installation of the Fractal Celsius+ S28 Prism was completely unproblematic, with one exception. But one thing at a time.

The supplied RGB fans can be easily attached to the radiator. A light rubber coating on both sides prevents scratches and vibrations during operation. It makes sense to manage the fan cables before mounting the radiator in the housing. The radiator can easily be mounted in the front of a Fractal Define 7 (here you can find our test).

After installing the radiator with the mounted fans, we continued with the compact CPU block. Pre-installed, in our case was already the holder for Intel mainboards. Since the installation is done on an AM4 mainboard, the bracket included in the delivery must first be connected to the pump. This works without problems by simply turning the holder. According to the instructions, only a kind of buckle needs to be screwed on.

When mounting on an AM4 mainboard, the holder must be clipped into the bracket of the mainboard. This turned out to be somewhat difficult in our case. With the mounted buckle the clipping in would not work. In our case the problem could be solved by mounting the buckle of the AM4 bracket only after the pump was on the CPU.

After successful assembly, all components are firmly and securely seated in their designated place.

Lighting

To use the RGB lighting of the Celsius+ S28 Prism, a removable 3-pin cable must be attached to the pump and to an RGB controller. The lighting is compatible with ASRock Polychrome, Asus Aura, Gigabyte Fusion, MSI Mystic Light and Razer Chroma, among others. In our case we use our own RGB controller. If the RGB cable is not connected, only the pump lights up in white.

Standard lighting pump
Standard lighting pump

Depending on the RGB controller, different types of lighting can be used. The desired lighting is visible on the fans and the pump.

lighting complete
lighting complete

According to the specifications, the LED lighting of our tested model approves itself at maximum brightness up to 4.2 watts.

Cooling capacity and volume

Let’s get to one of the most important parts: How does the Celsius+ S28 prism perform in practice – apart from the lighting? There are two variants for controlling the pump and fan: automatic control via the AiO, or manual control via PWM.

Auto and PWM mode
Auto and PWM mode

The mode is selected by rotating the top element on the pump. The mode in which the Celsius+ S28 prism is now in is then visualized.

We test the cooling system once in automatic mode and once in PWM mode with maximum pump or fan performance. This allows us to estimate both the everyday operation and the maximum performance of the Celsius S28+. We then look at the temperature in idle, as well as under full load with Prime95. The room temperature was about 24° C in every test.

At maximum speed the cooling capacity is impressive, but the noise level – especially the fan – increases accordingly. Interesting in automatic mode: the volume doesn’t increase with our Prime95 test. You can hear the fans quietly throughout – the pump is therefore hardly noticeable.

In comparison to the other two AiO’s, the Enermax AquaFusion 240 (here we go to the test) and the Alphacool Eisbaer 240 with alternative fans, the achieved values of the Celsius+ S28 Prisma are very good. It should be mentioned, however, that these have a smaller radiator, and thus have slightly less cooling surface available.

temperature comparison
temperature comparison

In summary, the cooling performance of the Celsius+ S28 Prisma is very good. In view of the volume, the good automatic mode is recommended, which can still have a good cooling performance. Nevertheless, the fans are always audible, even at low speeds, even if only quietly.

Conclusion on the Fractal Design Celsius+ S28 Prism

Fractal Design’s Celsius+ S28 prism offers a good and well thought-out product overall. The workmanship is top notch and the lighting looks chic. Special features like the RGB and fan hub or the switch between PWM and auto mode make the AiO cooler stand out from the crowd. The cooling performance is very good throughout, and the volume in the right setting is quiet, even if audible.

For 180 euro (current: € 81.00 *), the AiO cooler from Fractal Design is a very expensive cooling solution. For this price you can expect a perfect overall solution. If quasi inaudible fans, an improved AM4 mounting and a separate RGB controller were included, one could certainly talk about it.

In summary, the Celsius+ S28 Prism is recommendable for all those who don’t want to do without the features of Fractal Design and the extra price is reasonable compared to similar AiO’s.

Fractal Design Celsius+ S28 Prisma

Design
Features
Mounting
Cooling
Volume
Value for money

85/100

Sophisticated and colourful - but not perfect.

€ 99.00
Sofort lieferbar, Lieferzeit max. 2-4 Werktage
Buy now* computeruniverse.net
€ 104.00
Versandbereit in 1-3 Werktagen (nach Zahlungseingang)
Buy now* mynotebook.de
€ 106.89
Zentrallager: >5 Stück bestellt, wird in 2 Werktagen erwartetFiliale Wilhelmshaven: >5 Stück bestellt, wird in 2 Werktagen erwartet
Buy now* Mindfactory

Simon Lüthje

I am co-founder of this blog and am very interested in everything that has to do with technology, but I also like to play games. I was born in Hamburg, but now I live in Bad Segeberg.

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